Col de la Pierre Saint-Martin
La Pierre St Martin (literally meaning - the ’Rock of St Martin’) is the highest road climb in the Basque Pyrenees and it is without doubt one of the toughest. The gradients are inconsistent, and are often steeper than the profile suggests - particularly in the middle part of the climb. In recent years, the challenge offered by the climbs has attracted the attention of the Tour de France, which was used for just the second time in the 2015 edition. Chris Froome won the stage finish here, taking more than a minute out of his main rivals - an advantage that he never lost on his way to claiming his second overall title. Much of the first 20km is in forest and so there are only occasional views; however, the scenery opens up towards the top, particularly as you turn right just before the ski resort - and from here there are some fine views. The climb finishes on the border with Spain.
Region: Nouvelle-Aquitaine
City: Arette
Distance: 22.2 km
Elevation Gain: 1379 m
Elevation Loss: 28 m
Difficulty: 1174 (Very Hard)
FIETS Index: 8.59 FIETS
Avg Grade: 6.26 %
Max cat climb: HC
Min elevation: 393 m
Max elevation: 1765 m
Ride Category: Epic Climb